A Digital Health Advisor to Meet the Health Needs of Patients with Chronic Conditions and the Frail Elderly

In October 2015, the Commonwealth Fund, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Aspen Institute convened a multistakeholder forum to elaborate a vision for a “digital health advisor,” or DHA. As conceived, this suite of consumer-oriented digital applications would aggregate a patient’s data and apply robust decision support to inform diagnosis, treatment, setting and timing of care, and selection of high-value health plans and medical professionals. This project will identify and convey the needs and preferences of people with multiple chronic conditions, the frail elderly, and their caregivers and the potential for digital health services to meet those needs. Over a 12-week period, GravityTank, a Bay Area design firm with well-established expertise on health-related early-stage product development, will interview care managers, “shadow” 12 patients and their caregivers in the home, map workflow, and identify needs and preferences amenable to a DHA. The project team will generate “use cases” that clarify requirements for a DHA and functionality desired by users.

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Grant Details

Grantee Organization:
GravityTank, Inc.

Principal Investigator:
Dave Sonders, M.D.M.

Award Amount:
$194,000.00

Approval Date:
April 12, 2016

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Mission

The mission of The Commonwealth Fund is to promote a high-performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society's most vulnerable, including low-income people, the uninsured, minority Americans, young children, and elderly adults.